Bob Collins
As a son of the Bay State, Patriots Day — that’s today — is always a bit wistful. The Boston Marathon is running today. It long ago gave in to the commercial aspect of the sport, paying runners, selling sponsorships etc.
It wasn’t always that way. The oldest marathon in the country once was merely a celebration of running. Nobody got paid, everyone started at the same time, and along the way, people celebrated a long walk (run) wasted.
This picture from today’s race proves that all is not lost, however. Once the “elite” runners get their head start, the “little people” take over, with their gym shorts, beat-up T-shirts, ugly Massachusetts-winter-white legs, and — like Keith Straw, from Malvern, Pa — the occasional tutu.
You can follow the race here.
